Alvorada is a London-based group who play Brazilian Choro music of all styles, including lesser-known works and original compositions.

Choro emerged in Rio in the late 19th century as a mixture of European harmony with African rhythm and improvisation, in a similar way to jazz and ragtime.

The word ‘choro’ comes from the Portuguese verb ‘chorar’, which means ‘to cry’. Indeed, Choro music certainly has its fair share of tear-inducing laments. But Choro is mostly known for its lively, playful and syncopated melodies in the traditional setting of a ‘roda’; that is, with musicians playing informally around the table (drinking plenty of beer – provided by the loving fans, of course!).

Alvorada play a wide variety of styles of choro, exploring influences from all over Brazil (and London). We play choros with the irrisistable swing of samba from the South and baião from the Northeast, and even in the style of frevo, a Carnival dance from the Northeast! Many of the Choros we play are our own compositions, so you may find a Cockney twist to them…

Alvorada have the traditional instrumentation of the ‘regional’ choro ensemble: